I tried to discern a pattern from the tombstone epitaphs in the venture-backed cemetery, but I couldn’t see one. Among the departed you’ll find late- and early-stage companies, firms involved in corporate and consumer technologies, biomedical and pharmaceutical concerns, and even a smattering of cleantech ventures.

You’ll find that many were backed by major VC firms, and some were financed by lesser-known players. The only underlying commonality is that all saw their funding dry up during a severe, and now apparently protracted, economic downturn.